It Falls Apart
by ice queen
Summary: A ten year old little girl that has trouble controlling her powers shows up, seeking help in Magnolia.  Gajeel and Lily are stuck dealing with her and all the trouble that comes along with it.  Hints of Gajeel/Levy and Lily/Shagotte -Complete-
1. Big Hands

Well here we go again! Yes, I know I'm neglecting Me and My Cat, no complaints! Shush! As for this one, I warned you near the end of Geisha that this had an OC, so I don't see this being all that popular. Oh well. I'm dedicating this one to the handful of people that posted they'd read it. Love you guys! This one has a bit of Gajeel/Levy, but I was more focused on Queen Shagotte and Lily than I usually am.

The rough draft of the fic is finished, as usual, I'll be making changes as I go. Haven't yet written any omake, but I'm sure I'll come up with some before I'm done posting it.

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 1: Big Hands_

The ten year old girl staggered as she was shoved, falling in the gutter. Her butt hurt from hitting the cobble stones that didn't quite line up. Her shorts were even now soaking up something wet that she absently hoped was water.

"Get outta here, you little demon brat!" the barman bellowed, blocking out the light from inside the bar. "I told you already, we don't let kids in here!"

"I was just tryin' to get warm, you jerk!" the blonde girl shouted as he slammed the door shut in her face. Tanya, at least, that's the name she had been given by the mother that had abandoned her when she was a baby. She didn't think she fit the name. Even though she was so skinny you could see her ribs, her shoulders were broad and her hands large and knobby. She looked down at those hands, wondering what she was going to do now.

Slowly she stood, her tattered clothing hanging off of her body, her shoes too tight. They were worn over the toes, her toenails poking out. She reached one of her big hands up, shoving at the tangled, stringy mess of blonde hair that hung in her face. She would have to cut it off again, Tanya decided, trying not to wince as she started to walk. It was getting hard to see.

Magnolia. She had finally made it to Magnolia, right? She would find someone to teach her magic here. That's what Nellie had told her before the old woman died. "In Magnolia there are wonderful mages, mages that can do anything, go anywhere. They can help you with your little problem, I know it!" Nellie's voice whispered through Tanya's mind. It was what had driven her for the past year.

She whimpered as her foot slid on a stone that wasn't flat and her hand shot out to catch her before she hit the wall. That big hand that she had yet to grow into pressed hard against the concrete wall, her full weight (less than eighty pounds, she hadn't been eating so well this last year) pressing against it.

The wall crumbled under her touch, several inches of concrete falling as dust to the ground.

* * *

"Thank you for this," Shagotte said softly. "I couldn't think of a good excuse to come into town, but-"

"But you want to see Charle," Pantherlily said. The two of them sat at a table outside of a tiny cafe, drinking a cup of coffee. This wasn't how he usually spent his Friday nights, he thought a bit dryly, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "I understand, and I promise I'll arrange for something, Queen."

"Shagotte," she said. "I don't... I mean, you're not really one of my subjects anymore, are you?"

"No," he agreed softly. "I'm not. But I still think of you as Queen. It's a habit I could never really break myself of, even after I was kicked out." He didn't say a word when she winced, nor did he attempt to take it back. It was the truth after all. He hesitated, thinking over his relationship with the little white cat-Charle, that was. "She's a good girl. A bit bossy, though."

"I wonder where she got that from," Shagotte said with a slight smile. "Is she doing well? In the guild?"

"Extremely. She's got several people that adore her, and not just because of her precog abilities. She's smart," he said. "Hardheaded, though. Talking her into something she doesn't want to do is practically impossible if you don't know what motivates her. Which," he admitted, glancing up at the cafe, "is why we're here. She likes the cake."

"Oh? Really?" she asked, growing enthusiastic. "Can you tell me which ones?" She pulled out a little notebook and a pen, and he looked at her blankly for a moment before fighting a laugh.

"Sure, they're-" He stopped and turned as something caught his attention. A young girl was stumbling down the street, dirty blonde hair practically covering her face, her clothing hanging off a far too thin frame. "Excuse me," he said to Shagotte.

"But-" she said, looking at the human child with worry.

"On Earthland I can do this with no fear," he told her with a slightly bittersweet smile before he hopped off the chair and headed for the girl. "Hello," he said, stepping in front of her. She was more than twice his height in this form, but she was still a little girl to him. And she smelled of magic.

"I-um-" the girl started out, looking down at him blankly for a moment. "You're a talking cat?" she asked. Her stomach gurgled hungrily, so loud that even the humans around them could hear it.

"You catch on quick," he said gently, smirking slightly. "You hungry? I know a place that has good food."

"I-yeah," she admitted. "But I don't have any money. And-sometimes things happen," she admitted, turning and looking at something behind her. "You're better off going away now."

"Hey," he said, grabbing her hand. "Look at me when you're talking to me," he ordered. "What sort of things happen?"

"Things... they fall apart, okay?" she said defiantly. "It ain't my fault! But it's none of your business, either." She looked over at Shagotte, her eyes widening slightly. "It's okay, you got friends, right? You should go back to them." She stepped to the side, only to be blocked by Lily. "Oye! Get out of my way already, I got places to go."

"No, I don't think so. She's waiting for someone else, anyway," he added as he glanced over at Shagotte. "They won't miss me. Now come on, let's get you something to eat." He tugged on her hand. The magical force blew through his body, shoving him away from her and across the street. His back slammed into the wall of the little cafe he and Shagotte had been sitting at.

"I didn't-I mean-you shouldn't have grabbed me!" she said, her face as pale as the moon that was rising into the sky. "It's your fault-" She took a step back, then another, only to run into an immovable object.

"I don't know who you are, kid, but nobody does that to my cat."

Slowly Tanya looked up, swallowing loudly as a demonic looking man stared down at her. "Gajeel! Wait!" She jumped as she heard the cat speak, turning to see if he was still alive. The cat stood up, dusting himself off and popping his neck with a casual move. "She packs a punch," he added with a shrug. "But she's still a kid. One that looks like she hasn't eaten in a while."

Gajeel hesitated, scowling down at her, then glancing over at the white cat that was still watching them. "Go back to your date, I'll take the kid," he said, grabbing Tanya by the back of her shirt. He cursed as the material started to rip.

"Leggo, you jerk! Leggo of me!" Tanya bellowed, struggling to get free and accidentally finishing the rip of her shirt. She fell out of it, completely naked from the waist up. She wrapped her skinny arms around herself, staring up at the iron dragon as if he'd done something horrible.

"Well, shit," he muttered, shrugging off his own shirt and roughly pulling it over her head before anyone could see anything they shouldn't. Then he grabbed that shirt, both movements so fast that the young girl couldn't really follow. "I'm taking her to the guild," he told Lily.

"She's got magic," the Exceed said.

"Trust me, I picked up on that," Gajeel said, tossing the girl up so he could wrap his arm around her waist, carrying her under his arm. His shirt looked like a dress on her, hanging down around her thighs.

"She smells familiar, too."

"Yeah, I picked up on that, too," the metal dragon said before starting off. For a long moment Lily watched his partner carry the girl away, a slight frown on his face.

"He won't hurt her, will he?" Shagotte asked.

"No," Lily said. "But she might try and hurt him. Poor kid," he added, shaking his head.

"So which one are you worried for?" she asked him as he headed back to the table.

"Her," he said, a bit surprised that she even had to ask. "Of course," he added, as if there was no doubt. "Hitting him can be painful and she's just a kid."

"I see," she said, only to stop as she caught sight of Charle. "How do I look? Do I look alright? I spent an entire week trying to find the right outfit for this, but maybe I should have chosen the red one-oh, isn't she just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"

"Yeah," he said softly, watching Shagotte instead of Charle. "Really adorable," he added.

"I wish I knew where she got her clothes, they're so cute!"

"Ask her," Lily said, feeling like a third wheel. Two beautiful females on a Friday night, he thought, and his only part in this was making sure they got along well enough to eat cake together.

"You didn't tell me she would be here," Charle said, giving Lily an irritated look.

"You-you come here often with Pantherlily?" Shagotte asked, looking worried once again. She looked over at Lily with a torn expression. "Are you two-"

"We're not dating!" Charle said before Lily could say anything. "Usually me, Lily and Happy come here once a month to eat cake and tea, because-"

"Because we're celebrating the fact that there's cake, and her favorite type of tea," Lily finished for her, trying not to laugh. It was true, but more honestly, he was giving Happy a hand. Charle didn't hate the blue cat nearly as much as she acted like. That and seriously, the cake here was great.

"That's a very good thing to celebrate," Shagotte said. "In fact, why don't we celebrate it now?"

"Well... okay," Charle said.

"She likes the Darjeeling Tea and the strawberry cake," Lily informed Shagotte shamelessly.


	2. Dirty Looks

So here I am, thinking I'm being sneaky, and I bet you've already figured it out=P *shakes her head* Then you probably know why I had to write this one, too^^ If you haven't figured it out, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough!

The holiday omake sounds interesting, Maybe a Thanksgiving one, even though Thanksgiving isn't a universal holiday, but it'll be the closest one to the final chapter... Christmas might work better... Or just something like what I did with the omake chapter of Geisha, follow up snippets. Those were fun! *keeps thinking about it*

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 2: Dirty Looks_

"You can let go of me now," Tanya said, her arms crossed over her chest, her body hanging limply from the hard arm that held her. It hurt, it was that hard. "It's not like you really care what happens to me. You'll probably toss me into some empty alleyway-"

"Shut up."

"Or you'll kill me," she said, "over what I did to your talking cat-"

"He's had worse, but if I was you I'd stop reminding me about that."

She scowled and reached out, grabbing onto his side. "Even think about it," he growled, "and I'll put you in a metal cage until you're in your thirties." The hand came down.

"What are you? Some sort of demon or something?" Tanya asked, unable to keep her mouth shut. There was something fascinating about the man that carried her. That or she was really, really bored, she thought.

"You stink," he said in a disgusted tone. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

"Hey, buddy, you look like you've never even seen a bathhouse in your life, who are you to judge me?" she demanded, irritated. Although, honestly she had noticed that she was getting a bit rank. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't afford a public bathhouse! What little money she managed to find went straight to buying food!

"I ain't the one that smells here," he said. "Man, I can't believe Lily managed to get close enough to you to get hit, you're seriously rank."

"Stop makin' fun of me," she snarled, starting to fight his hold once again. She could feel it starting, she thought, her heart beating hard against her chest. "Put me down," she whispered. "Put me down! Put me down!" she screamed, shoving as hard as she could to try and escape his hold. Before she could get free it started, the rush of power that she had no control over shaking her entire body, then the world around them. The ground beneath Gajeel's feet cracked; then fell, going down a foot.

Tanya was being shaken. Her eyes opened as the power stopped and she stared up at Gajeel in horror. "You-you're-I-" He shone in the light of the moon, his entire body gleaming like-"Metal?" she whispered.

"You seriously need to calm the hell down," Gajeel told her bluntly.

Tears welled up in her big black eyes. "You're still alive," she said, sobbing like a child. "You're-you're still alive!"

Gajeel let out a heavy sigh. "We really need to find you a mentor," he said bluntly before shoving her under his arm again. "But first we'll get you fed and a bath."

"You ain't bathing me! You sick pervert! You-"

"What was all that crying about me being alive, huh?" he demanded. "One moment happy the next accusing me of bein' a perv. Annoying little brat, like you've got anything to show."

"You're the one running around without a shirt on!" she replied irritably. "You're obviously a pervert!"

"You're wearin' my shirt!" he told her. "Cuz yours was a piece of trash that tore like paper!"

"You don't go carrying people around by their clothes! Especially when you don't even know their name!"

"I'll call you Mary," Gajeel said. "Mary Sue."

"WHAT?" she screamed. "Where the heck did you get that stupid name from? I mean, I got a name, you massive jerk! And I ain't Mary Sue! My name is Tanya!"

"Tanya? Tanya should be a..." He frowned, thinking about it, "lot sexier," he decided. "You look more like a Mary."

"I really, really hate you," Tanya told him bluntly, crossing her arms over her non-existent chest. She glanced up as he stopped in front of a massive building, her eyes widening as she took in the large sign in front of it. "Fairy... Tail?" she read. "That's..."

"A really stupid name, I got it already," Gajeel muttered. "But it's my guild, so keep that fact to yourself."

"You're a mage?"

"You didn't figure that out yet?" he asked, looking at her blankly.

"I meant you're a legitimate mage? I mean, I was pretty sure you were part of some dark, shady guild that kidnapped babies or something," she said. "I mean, seriously, you look like you eat them for breakfast or something!"

"Shuddup, Mary," he growled. "Or I ain't gonna feed you."

"I don't wanna eat babies, anyway," she muttered, shocked as he let out a rough laugh. "You thought that was funny?" she asked, a bit stunned.

"Wasn't it?" he asked honestly. "Oye! We need some food over here!" he bellowed. "Got any babies?"

"Gajeel, what are you doing to that little girl?" a beautiful white haired female asked, appearing in front of them and looking down at Tanya curiously.

"Mary attacked my cat," Gajeel said, dropping the poor girl on the ground. She landed on her hands and knees, whimpering slightly from the fall.

"This ground is hard," she complained. "And my name isn't Mary," she added as she got to her feet. "My name is Tanya. I'm-I'm-" She pushed her hair out of her face. "He kidnapped me!" she decided, pointing a finger at the metal dragon.

"Well at least he's going to feed you!" the woman said happily. "What would you like? And where is Lily?" she asked Gajeel.

"On a date," Gajeel said as he dropped down on one of the massive wooden benches. "With the Queen lady."

"Really? Oh how romantic!"

"And the little girlie's white cat."

"Oh, well I hope they have fun!" the woman said. "Now, what would you like?"

"I don't got any money," Tanya said. "But I can give you this shirt!" she offered evilly. "It's gotta be worth something, right? It weighs a ton!"

"Hey! I like that shirt!" Gajeel complained. "Besides, I didn't say you could have it-"

"You tore my only shirt, so this one's mine now," Tanya told him stubbornly. "And if I wanna trade it for food, I will."

"Get her some spaghetti," Gajeel muttered as he glowered at the little girl. "Aren't you supposed to be nicer?"

"Why should I be?" Tanya asked.

"One extra large spaghetti coming up!" the woman said. "You just sit down, sweetie, and we'll get it out to you right away!" She disappeared into the kitchen area, leaving Tanya feeling a bit abandoned. The guild was huge, she thought as she looked around. And people were staring at her curiously then glancing at Gajeel as if he was going to do something to them.

"Gajeel!" The call made Tanya turn, blinking at a cute blue haired girl that was heading straight for them. "Did you get back from your mission?"

"Yeah," Gajeel said. "It was so boring that Lily didn't even tag along," he complained. "Levy, meet Mary Sue, Mary Sue, meet-"

"My name isn't Mary Sue!" Tanya burst out. "My name is Tanya."

"It's very nice to meet you, Tanya," Levy said, holding out a hand. Tanya hesitated, not wanting to touch the older female, not when she had had such lousy luck that day.

"I-I can't shake hands," Tanya said. "My hands are too dirty, see?" she added as an excuse, holding the overly large hands up so Levy could see.

"I see," Levy said, her tone saying the exact opposite. "Why don't we go wash them? You're going to eat soon, right?"

"Yeah," Tanya said quietly, glancing at Gajeel who was-"is he eating a fork?" she asked Levy.

"Gajeel! You're not supposed to eat the cutlery," Levy scolded him.

"They're taking too long with the food."

Levy sighed and reached out, grabbing Tanya's wrist and pulling her away. She didn't seem to care about the dirt, and Tanya was still so stunned by the fork thing that she couldn't react in time.

"Let's go get you cleaned up a little, okay?" Levy asked; shooting Tanya the sweetest smile the girl had seen since Nellie had been alive. It hurt her heart to see that sweet of a smile.

"I can walk without help," she said, tugging free. "Thanks," she added roughly.

"You should meet Wendy!" Levy said after a second of hesitation. "You two are about the same age. She could use a friend her own age!"

"I don't think I'll be here long," Tanya said. "But thanks, anyway."

"Why not?" Levy asked.

"Why not what?"

"Why won't you be here long?" she asked again. "I mean, this is a guild, and you're a mage. We can be your home, if you need us to be. In fact, I'm sure the Master will let you in!"

"I have this problem," Tanya whispered, looking away from that innocently welcoming gaze. "Things tend to fall apart around me."

Levy was quiet for a long moment, thinking over that statement. "You know, if you were a threat to the guild because of that, Gajeel would have never brought you here. You can learn to control it, I'm sure!" She gave Tanya an encouraging smile, her hands fisting in the air in a supportive stance. "And we've always got Gildartz Shift if that doesn't work!"

"Gildartz Shift?" Tanya repeated.

"The entire town shifts so one of our strongest mages can come here without destroying it! It's really handy," she added with a nod. "But you're not on that level, anyway, I mean, you've walked this far without destroying anything, right?"

"Right?" Tanya repeated, wondering who in the world Gildartz was and why an entire town would have to be moved for him.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Levy said, stopping in front of the bathroom and motioning for Tanya to go in. "Then you can go eat and we'll go to the bathhouse together!"

"I can't afford-"

"It's fine," Levy said. "We'll pay for it now, and after you get some training you can start taking missions of your own!"

Tanya didn't dare to hope. It left a sick feeling in the pit of her gut every time things fell apart again. "Hey," she said as they went into the bathroom, "what is he, anyway?"

"Gajeel? He's an iron dragon slayer," Levy said.

"A what?"

"He's got a very special type of ancient magic that lets him use metal magic," Levy explained, looking at her curiously. "Are you not a dragon slayer?"

"I've always heard dragons don't exist anymore," Tanya said a bit blankly. "Why would I be one? All I do is make stuff fall apart, and I can't even do it on purpose. Sometimes-" She stopped, looking away and accidentally seeing herself in a mirror and looking away from that, as well. "Sometimes when I wake up," she whispered. "Everything's gone."

"Oh, Tanya," Levy said softly. "We'll help you, I swear." She reached out, grabbing Tanya's hands with both of hers. "We'll definitely help you get control of your magic."

Tanya nodded, swallowing the lump that appeared in her throat. "But why did you think I was a dragon slayer? I've never even heard of them until today-is that why he turned all metallic all of a sudden?"

Levy coughed, looking a bit too innocent for her own good. "I bet your food is ready by now! Let's get you back to the dining area!"

"Was I supposed to be one?" Tanya demanded as she followed Levy out of the bathroom. "Is there something someone's not telling me here?"

"Mirajane-san's spaghetti's the best in the world!" Levy said. "You're going to love it!"

"Levy, you're not telling me something!" Tanya complained. "What's going on? Am I supposed to be someone else?"

"Of course you aren't! Don't worry about it, okay?"

Tanya gave her a dirty look.


	3. Annoying Ties

And here's chapter three! Some serious Gajeel/Levy hints in this one, enjoy it!

Unfortunately, I don't think Lily is Charle's dad. In fact I think I covered that conversation in Me and My Cat. But I'll give you a hint, it does have something to do with a father! And yes, her powers are a little bit much, but it works against her severely in this fic. In fact, it's caused a serious trauma for her. And there's a reason she has them. You'll find out in this chapter!

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 3: Annoying Ties_

"Gajeel?" Gajeel turned, looking down at Levy blankly. They were standing outside of the baths at the local bathhouse. Halfway through his own bath Lily had showed up, telling the lady at the counter to put it on their tab and went in. Gajeel was waiting for him to be finished. But Levy should have been inside with the kid.

"What?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you about Tanya," she said, reaching up and grabbing his arm and pulling him to the side. He couldn't do anything but let her, since it was Levy, but he did feel a little stupid being pulled around by a girl. Then again, he thought, he would just have to get used to it.

"What about her?"

"Where did you find her?" she asked.

"I didn't, Lily did. She was walking outside that frufru cake place he goes to with the other cats," he said with a shrug. "Why? What's wrong with her?"

"She's covered in bruises-"

"I didn't do it," he interrupted.

"I'm not accusing you of that! And stop interrupting," she bossed. "She's covered in bruises and so skinny that you can count her ribs. Did she tell you about her problem?"

"The magic thing? No, but I figured it out," he added with a wince. He had actually had to use his dragon scales for a ten year old. That was embarrassing. "What did she tell you?"

"She says she sometimes wakes up and everything around her is gone," she said quietly. "We need to find a mentor for her, but I can't think of anyone that uses that type of magic, except-"

"The old guy," Gajeel muttered. "I'll go find him tomorrow." He glanced up as Tanya came out of the bathhouse, dressed in his shirt. It looked like a dress on her, and somehow she had found a sash of material to use as a belt. "While you're getting her clothes," he said. "I want my shirt back."

"I want to stay with Gajeel tonight," Tanya announced, much to everyone's shock.

"What? You can stay with Levy!"

"No, cuz I like Levy," Tanya said. "If your place falls apart in the middle of the night I won't be bothered," she told him as she walked right past him to the door.

"I'll be bothered!" he burst out. "She's an annoying little pain in the ass!" he told Levy, pointing at the little girl that was waiting impatiently for him. Levy gave him an adorable smile, one that made his right eye twitch.

"Thank you, Gajeel!" she said, looking so happy that he swore she was going to hug him or something. Not that he would have complained about a hug, but, still-

"What are you thanking me for?" he demanded. "She's the one that's decided on her own-If my apartment gets destroyed again we'll be kicked out-"

"Again?" she repeated blankly.

"...It's a long story."

"You can absolutely do it!" Levy cheered him, although, seriously, he had no idea what she was talking about. Do what? "You'll keep her safe tonight and find Gildartz tomorrow and I'll take her clothes shopping and introduce her to Master Makarov tomorrow!"

"And what do I get out of this?" he demanded irritably. "Other than the risk of having my apartment destroyed and a headache?"

"My gratitude?" she asked, those big brown eyes of hers boring into his metallic flavored soul. "Please, Gajeel?"

There was something infinitely sexy about being begged like that, Gajeel thought, feeling as if he'd been hit by a train. Especially when she had that little pout on her lips and her hands wrapped around one of his. His brain wasn't the one answering when his mouth said, "Fine," in a surly tone.

"Whoa," Tanya said, watching them blatantly. "You totally have a thing for her, don't you?"

"Shuddup," Gajeel barked at her. It was right at that time that Lily came out of the men's side of the bath, rubbing his head dry with a towel. "Let's go already," he said to his cat. "How does it take so long for a cat to take a bath, anyway?" he added irritably as Levy let go of his hand and he headed for the door.

"Bye, guys!" Levy called. Gajeel noticed she hadn't said a word about Tanya's statement. Maybe it had gone over her head, he thought. More likely she was playing innocent again. She tended to be really stupid when she didn't want to talk about something. He glanced back at her, just to make sure, and felt a bit better when he realized her face was bright red.

At least it hadn't gone over her head.

* * *

It was dark, but there were crows sitting on the lampposts. Inwardly Gajeel cursed, shoving his hands into his pockets and glancing down at the two walking beside him. It would have to wait until after he had gotten them into the apartment.

"Set up the couch for the brat," Gajeel told Lily, "I got something I gotta do before bed."

Lily looked at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. They had had moments like this before, but Lily hadn't asked yet, and Gajeel wasn't going to tell. Finally the Exceed nodded and headed inside, pulling Tanya along behind him by the bottom of Gajeel's shirt.

For a long moment nothing happened. Then the little white paper man appeared next to him as he leaned against the front porch railing.

"I've heard something interesting," Ivan said. "There's a little girl in your area, she's a very different type of little girl. She's left behind a road of destruction."

Gajeel went still, then grinned wickedly, his mind rushing as his body went into automatic. "What kind of destruction?"

"A very familiar type of destruction," Ivan said cheerfully. "I've been waiting for her to come out of hiding, you know! But it's irritating that she's in Magnolia. Which is why I need you to do me a small favor."

"Sure, Master, but why is it familiar?"

"Haven't you figured it out? She's Gildartz' little bastard. I want you to keep her from joining Fairy Tail. She needs to be in my guild-"

He wasn't listening as the man ranted as usual. His mind had stopped on the part about Gildartz. That kid was a mini old guy? The old guy got lucky?

"Ewww," he said without thinking.

"What?" Ivan asked, practically yelping.

"Just wondering what sick lady would actually-eww," he said again, shaking his head. Then again, Ivan had a kid, too, right? That lightning bastard, Luxus. And seriously, that meant there had to be a female crazy enough to-to do stuff with- "Shoulda never got on that line of thought," he said darkly.

"I want you to keep her away from Makarov, understand? And especially keep her away from Gildartz!"

"No problem," he lied. "If I find her."

"You'll know her when you see her, she's the one destroying everything."

"Of course, Master Ivan," he said. Then he headed inside, a dark scowl on his face. "She destroying anything?" he asked, only to stop at the sight of Lily and Tanya with half of Gajeel's clothes laid out over every available surface in the room, including their bed, the kitchen counter, and the floor. "What the hell are you two doing?"

"We're shopping for clothes," Lily said. "She can't wear mine."

"She's getting clothes tomorrow!" Unless Ivan found out, that was. He looked at Tanya for a moment, wondering what in the hell he was going to do. If Ivan got her, she would grow up just like he had. And Levy would kill him if he even thought of it. No, there was no way in hell he was going to give the kid over to Ivan.

"What?" Tanya demanded darkly. "I'm taking this one," she added, holding up another of his favorite shirts.

"You're not taking my clothes. You can borrow them, but you ain't taking them. Levy's taking you shopping tomorrow while I go find your-" He hesitated, still trying not to picture things that didn't need to be pictured. "Future mentor. Got it?"

"Someone that knows how to do the stuff I do?" Tanya asked.

"No, someone that knows how to do the stuff you don't know how to do, but do anyway," Gajeel said pointedly. "I expect my stuff to go back where it belongs when you're done."

"You mean stuffed in that corner over there?" she said, pointing.

"There was a rhythm to it!"

"Sure, like all the clean stuff in the right corner and all the dirty stuff in the left," she said, picking up another metal studded shirt. "Hey, he likes Levy, right?" she said to Lily, who seemed just as interested in the clothing as she was.

"Yeah, he's got it bad," the Exceed said.

"She can totally do better. I mean, she's really, really cool, and he's-" She glanced over at the steaming iron dragon. "Him," she decided. "I mean, sure the gruff jerk thing might work for some people-"

"Oye! Can we leave my love life out of this?" Gajeel demanded, heading for the couch and shoving a pile of clothes off of it so he could sit down. Then he winced and sat up, pulling a metal sprocket out from the cushions and tossing it into one of the half filled boxes on the ground across the room. "Besides, those clothes don't suit you."

"Yeah, I don't have studs in strange places."

"They aren't studs," Lily said. "They're rivets. See, he's a gigantic metal sculpture that a dragon put together with a welder-"

"Seriously?" Tanya asked. "Like a-like a train or something?"

"Lily!" Gajeel said, a bit offended. "I ain't a statue."

"You sure?"

"Well... yeah, pretty sure. I mean, dammit, how did we get from my love life to this?" He stopped as he caught Tanya's curious expression and groaned. "I ain't a train," he told her. "So don't get any bright ideas."

"Where's the coal go?" she asked curiously.

This was definitely going to be a long night.


	4. Square Jaw

Yeah, I figured at least one of you'd figured it out^^ I actually went into this wanting to write a story about Gildartz' kid. It was stuck in my head for a few weeks before I actually did something about it, though. I have the same "OC = Mary Sue" complex that everyone else does, and I was really paranoid when it came to her powers, for obvious reasons. But I can't see Gildartz' kid as anything except overwhelming.

And for Lily as Charle's daddy, I really would like it to be true, but seriously, the biggest thing that makes me think it's not is the size difference between Shagotte and Lily at the time (which is embarrassing even to think about, so I didn't mention it earlier) but let's vote! Who thinks Lily's a poppa and doesn't know it?

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 4: Square Jaw_

"Why did you do that?" Charle demanded the moment that Lily walked through the door. "How could you have done that to me? You abandoned me with her!"

Lily yawned, not even bothering to cover it with his paw. His paw was way too small to cover it, anyway. The entire night had been filled with random bouts of "Dammit, I told you already, there is no coal!" He snorted at the memory, still amused. Of course, Gajeel was pissed at him for it. But seriously, it was something he'd been thinking of for weeks! And it had worked!

"Are you listening to me?" Charle demanded. "She dragged me through the entire town! And she kept trying to feed me candy!"

"But you like candy."

"I know, but I like to pick my own!" she said. "And-and she kept grabbing me at odd times," she said with a pout.

"Grabbing you?"

"My paw!"

"To drag you around, right?" he said, smirking slightly. "So did you have fun?"

"That-that's not the issue!" she said, only blinking as someone appeared behind him. "Did you trade the iron dragon in for another model?"

Lily looked up at Tanya. "Nah, I've finally got him trained," he said dryly.

"Potty trained?" Charle offered.

"Hey now," Lily said with only a hint of warning in it. "He's not that stupid. But if you ask me, I think the Queen just sees you as... family she's never known," he decided on. "You know, since you grew up on Earthland instead of Edolas, and she likes to know all of the Exceed."

"That's ridiculous," Charle said, but he noticed she seemed a little happier now. "But why didn't she want to meet Happy?" she asked, going exactly where he didn't want her to.

"Have you seen Levy?" he asked. "She's supposed to go with Tanya here to get some clothes. Gajeel wants his shirts back."

"They're heavy, but comfortable," Tanya said, posing in the shirt she wore this time. Her face showed thanks to her hair being washed and brushed. She wasn't pretty, with a square jaw like that, but she wasn't ugly, either. She was striking, Lily had decided, and he was sticking with that description. Flat as a board with too long of limbs and hands and feet that were too big for her, he added honestly. She would grow into a very tall, tough looking woman. She reminded him of someone, but he had yet to put a name with the feeling.

"Levy's not here yet," Charle said. "You can usually see her coming with those two goons of her following her everywhere."

"Oh, right, hat head and fishtail," Lily said.

"I gotta ask," Tanya said abruptly. "Are there lots of talking cats around here? Is it because of something in the water?"

"She sure sounds like your old model," Charle said irritably, glowering up at the ten year old girl.

"I mean, it's cool, though!" Tanya said quickly, holding up both hands. "I was just wondering, that's all."

"We're Exceed, not cats. It's a species that comes from an alternate reality called Edolas," Lily said simply. "We can fly, too."

"Really? That's cool!" Tanya was feeling happy. Nothing had happened that entire night, other than tormenting Gajeel with coal. She had had the first good night's sleep in months thanks to-thanks to-

Why had she slept so well the night before, anyway? A slight frown pulled at her lips as she tried to figure it out. Maybe it was because she hadn't been alone. Maybe it was because there hadn't been the threat of someone finding her, someone hurting her-

"Tanya!" Lily snapped, making the little girl look up. Her hands were clammy and her breathing shallow. Memories that she didn't want to remember were coming back. "Hey, kid, look at me," he ordered, hopping onto a table so they were closer to eye contact. Big, dilated black eyes looked into his. "That's a good girl," he said gruffly. "You went white as a sheet," he added as he hopped off the table. "C'mon, let's get you something to eat, it'll make you feel better."

Tanya nodded, following him silently. She was still pale, but the color was slowly coming back to her face. Lily was there, she thought, clinging to the fact, Lily wouldn't let anything happen. Sure, he was little and a cat, but-but he didn't seem to be just acting tough. There was a confident air around him, and besides, he had shaken off her accidental attack as if it had been nothing! She was safe with a guy that could do that, even if he was a cat.

"That's better," he said quietly as she sat down at the table he indicated. "You're scared about your powers?"

The question stunned her and she stared at him for a moment. "No! I-I know what I'm doing!"

"Sure you don't," he said. "But is it something else?"

"It's-" She looked around, seeing curious looks from all directions. They didn't look angry, she thought, even though she didn't really belong here.

"Is this the new girl?" a cheerful voice interrupted, making her look to her left. A tiny old man stood there, grinning cheerfully up at her, a staff in his hand. "Aren't you cute! Have you been trained?"

"Not yet, Master Makarov," Lily said. "Tanya, this is the guild master, Master Makarov. Master Makarov, this is Tanya. Gajeel is going out to find her mentor now."

"So he's already picked one out? He's gotten pretty good at that, hasn't he?"

"We try not to mention that in the guild," Lily said dryly. "But in this case we figure there's only one guy that can do it."

"Oh?"

"Gildrartz," Lily said. He stared blankly as the master's face fell in a look of pure shock. "She... has a little destructive problem," he added.

"Oh dear, oh dear," Makarov said, shaking his head with a worried look on his face. "Tanya-chan? Would you like to join Fairy Tail?" he asked.

"So fast!" half the room exclaimed in surprise.

"I-can I?" she asked worriedly.

"Of course! We love having new members!" the little man said. But there was something else going on, and Lily knew it.

"Then-then yes, please," she said. "I'd like to be a fairy."

* * *

Shagotte was in the war room. At least, they called it the war room, in reality it was more of a search and recover room. In front of her maps of their new planet laid out, some falling over the edge of the wooden table, others hung on the wall, covered in pins with different colored tops. "We just sent another recovery group to this area here," she told her committee, pointing at the hanging map with a stick. "We need to send more groups here, and here. But we're out of Exceed at the moment."

"If we spread any thinner we're going to lose some of our own as well as the children," her advisors told her. "We will simply have to wait until one of the other groups return before sending people there."

"I can go," Shagotte said.

"My Queen, we need you here far more than we need you out there. You are keeping everyone on track-"

"It doesn't feel like it!" she said. "It's so frustrating, staying here, not knowing what my people are doing, not knowing if they're safe-" She took a deep breath, running a paw over her face. "We have only found thirty of the children," she whispered. "We have been looking for months. What if-what if we were too late?"

"We can only do what we can, Queen," one of the elders said, gently laying a paw on her arm. "We've found thirty of them already. They each have happy, healthy lives and good friends. We are blessed in that."

"I know," she whispered, taking a deep breath.

"Perhaps you should contact Pantherlily again? A night out did you some good, another one might help even more."

"I-I feel guilty when I do that," Shagotte admitted, looking down. "Here I am, knowing where my child is and able to talk with her whenever I like, while seventy other families have no idea where their child is, or if they're even still-still-"

"Shhh, it's okay, Queen, we are doing our best to make it so they do," the elder said, letting her turn and cry on his shoulder. "You are a wonderful Queen," he told her as he patted her back. "They know how hard you are working for their sakes."

She nodded, sniffling pathetically against his traditional robes. "She's so beautiful," she whispered.

"She is," he agreed. "She looks just like her mother did at that age."

"Really?"

"I remember as if it were yesterday. You kept stealing my candy when I wasn't looking." A little laugh escaped Shagotte and she pulled away.

"We need to get back to work," she said. "But you might be right about contacting Pantherlily... He travels a lot, and perhaps he could take a few moments to see if he can find other Exceed during his missions."

"For you, my Queen, I am sure he'd be willing."

"No, but it's worth asking, at least."


	5. Fairy Girl

And here's chapter 5! We got a lot of votes for Lily being Charle's father, and nobody that argues against it. Ahh, wouldn't it be awesome, though? *sighs* Either way, I'm hoping someday he might at least be her stepdad! *Kitty love, yayness!* We're introduced to another OC in this one, and I'm very interested in what you think of him! As for me, well... he's a real weirdoO.o And I wrote him *snorts*

I shall call him Gary! Gary Stu!

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 5: Fairy Girl_

"See?" Tanya asked, showing off the orange Fairy Tail mark on her thigh. "I'm a fairy!"

"That's very nice," Levy said, "but you shouldn't lift your skirt like that, it's not very ladylike," she added, sighing. She had been a bit surprised that Tanya was already a member when she got there, but she shouldn't have been. Makarov let any magically inclined female in without a second thought. It was his way of protecting them. And, she admitted, he liked females a lot.

"I'll go with you," Lily said, hopping off of the bench he had been sitting on. "Gajeel's paying for the clothes."

"He is?" Levy asked.

"He is now," Lily drawled. "Whether he knows it or not. Besides, it'll get him his shirts back."

"Says you," Tanya told him. "I like this shirt, it's awesome."

"It's a bit big on you, though," Levy offered gently. She did need to get Gajeel's shirts back for him, otherwise he might start walking around shirtless all the time, then people would stare at him, especially females- She flushed at that thought, not liking this one bit and not wanting to dwell on it. "Maybe we can find you a dress like it?"

"Nah, that'd just ruin the fun of stealing his shirt," Tanya said. She looked at Levy. "I'll give it to you, if you promise not to give it back to him, though! I've got two of them, after all."

That-that was so tempting, Levy admitted silently. She knew her face was turning red when even Lily let out a laugh.

"I can't do that," she said finally, trying not to let her reluctance show. "He needs his shirts. That's why we're going to go get you some clothes of your own!"

"You're bright red," Tanya said. "Are you sick or something?"

"I'm fine!" Levy said a bit too quickly. "But aren't you scared of him? He's a bit scary-"

"Yeah, he's really scary," Tanya agreed. "I about pissed myself-"

"Language," Lily said quietly.

"I about peed myself when he showed up that first time," Tanya corrected without missing a beat. "But I caught him hugging Lily when he slept last night."

"What few chances he had of sleeping," Lily muttered, covering a yawn. He looked around the street they were on, narrowing his already narrow eyes a bit and moving closer to the females. Neither of them noticed.

"I want to know where the coal goes," Tanya explained as Levy headed for one of the stores on the street. She followed without a thought, explaining Lily's theory about the rivets as if it were a fact.

"Wait, you think he's been made?" Levy asked in shock.

"Yeah! Has he gotten older? I have this theory-"

"Natsu has!"

"What? Who's Natsu?"

"He's another of our dragon slayers," Levy said. "We've got three of them. And Natsu's been with Fairy Tail since he was a child. He's grown up. So I don't think your theory's right, sorry."

Lily let them go in, staying at the door of the shop and turning his back to it. He pulled out a small dagger from his belt, watching the street warily.

Something, or someone, was watching them.

* * *

"Oye, old man!" Gajeel said, stepping up to the rickety looking house where Gildartz lived. "You here?" The place looked ran down, and even though the old guy had been around for a month or two, he still hadn't done much to fix the place up.

There was no reply. Gildartz wasn't in. Gajeel cursed angrily, kicking a tree as he walked away. That just meant more problems for him.

* * *

So this was Magnolia, Aku thought, taking a long drag off of his smoke as he walked down the street. He had caught sight of a cute little blue haired girl earlier, but gotten bored when she started shopping with a friend. Besides, Master Ivan had sent him here to find a... hell, what was he here for again?

He paused, searching his mind for his mission. It was in Magnolia, because that's where his train ticket had said he was going. But seriously, he thought with a snort, Ivan's most precious bastard of the year was already here, (one of the facts that stuck in his head since it irritated him so much) so what was Aku doing here? Wasting time, apparently, he thought with a hint of disgust.

Then he stopped, a chill running down his spine as he picked up a hint of magic. The world was shaking slightly under his booted feet and he glanced around, trying to figure out where it had come from. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the sign over a shop shake, then fall to the ground. That was the shop the blue haired girl had gone in, right?

Was she the one he had come after?

More importantly, had she done that?

* * *

Lily cursed, having dived out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by a sign. He jumped over the sign and raced into the shop, not surprised to see Tanya huddled beneath one of the tables and Levy on the ground. He muttered something dark and headed for Levy first, checking for a pulse. "Levy," he said after a second. "Come on, sweetheart, wake up. Tanya! What happened?"

"It was-he was-" the little girl stuttered. "Is she-is she dead?" she whispered. A salty scent filled the air and he glanced at her. Silent tears were pouring down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to-"

The door opened behind him, but Lily was so busy dealing with the two females that he didn't even notice. "She's not dead," he said, changing sizes so he could pick Levy up. "Let's get back to the guild."

"Good sir, the shop sign-" the salesclerk said.

"Sorry about that, these things happen," Lily said, blowing him off completely. "Come on, Tanya. Now!" he snapped when he saw her hesitate. She climbed out from under the table, heading to his side and grabbing onto his belt as he started out the door. He walked right past a strange, thin man wearing a long brown leather coat and a pair of worn leather pants.

"Sir, there is no smoking in this shop!" the salesclerk snapped as the trio of mages left. Obviously he didn't feel like standing up to a cat that changed into a monster sized version, Lily thought with a snort. But he had to hurry. The limited time that he could stay in this form was still barely enough to get back to Fairy Tail.

Tanya glanced back at the shop as they ran away, a look of fear still etched into her expression. "I didn't mean to," she muttered. "I didn't mean to." It was only because of Lily's superior hearing that he heard her.

"Of course you didn't," he said. "But something set you off. And I expect you to tell me what it was when we get there, understand?"

"Ye-yeah," she said, speeding up to keep up with him. "But-is she okay?"

"You were touching her at the time?"

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"Yeah," he said, because there was nothing else he could say.

Tanya stayed silent, the mark she had been so proud of just moments before burning like fire on her thigh. It was just like what had happened with Nellie, a vicious voice whispered in the back of her mind. A touch, a tiny little touch, and they were gone-

"She's not dead!" Lily snapped. "Stop looking like you killed her!" He should have known something like this would happen, he thought with self disgust. He should have ignored whoever was watching them and gone in-

The guild loomed ahead of them and he kicked up the speed, rushing through the gates. "Someone take her," he bellowed, thrusting the bookworm into the nearest waiting arms. "Get someone to look over her. I need to-" He turned, looking for Tanya. But the little girl was gone. With a curse he let his body switch back to his smaller form. "Has anyone seen Tanya?" he demanded.

This day just got better and better, he thought sarcastically. "Better yet, has anyone seen my dragon?" he demanded.

* * *

It took him fifteen minutes to get clear of the salesclerk without killing the man. It was touch and go a few times, actually, but the falling sign and the mini quake had caught a lot of attention, and killing a man (no matter how annoying) in front of so many witnesses was not Aku's style. Finally he had put the smoke out in the palm of his hand (which stung like hell, but he ignored it) and left while the salesclerk stood there with a shocked look on his face.

Aku really hated idiots like that. He patted his pockets, searching for his pack of smokes, finding it empty and cursing. That had been his last smoke, he thought in disgust. This job just kept getting worse and worse. Besides, he still couldn't remember what the mission was in the first place!

"Wait," he said, stopping in the middle of the road. "Why not ask him?" The idea was so brilliant to the idiot mage that he broke into a wide grin. He had wanted to meet him for a while! Ever since his high ranking position in Raven Tail had been stolen by someone that was never even there!

But... where did you find a dragon slayer in this town? He pondered the question with a scowl as he started walking down the street again. He didn't even look up as a little blue haired girl walked past with a pile of boxes in her arms, nor did he glance twice at the pink haired man chasing after a blue cat-although, seriously, he swore that he heard the cat say something. But did that matter?

He shoved his hands in his pockets, blinking as a piece of paper crinkled and pulling it out. "Find... the girl," he read. "Gildartz daughter?"

And it came rushing back to him. "Shit!" he cursed, crumpling the paper in his hand. "I hate when that happens!"

Around him people stopped, their faces paling as some of them collapsed to the ground. Others started screaming, clutching at their heads as they tried to cope with the images that were rushing through their minds. For some their worst nightmares, the ones that they had forgotten upon waking, were vividly playing right in front of their eyes. For others, it was far worse. Aku's worst nightmares, those twisted monstrous imaginings of a clearly demented mind, were slamming through their heads, etching their existence into their very souls.

Aku stepped over a few bodies as he kept walking, not even noticing what he had done to them. He would forget soon, he knew. It was part of his coping ability. But that didn't make it any less frustrating. If he could remember anything other than his guild information and name (which he wasn't sure was the right one, to be honest) for more than a day or two, those around him would all start committing suicide to get away from the memories his power surge brought on.

But it was bloody awkward waking up with a woman (or something else) and having no clue how you got there, even without having drunk yourself into a stupor the night before. And half the time he forgot how to use his magic when things got bad. Thankfully there were certain triggers that set it off for him. Like fear and pain. Once he reached a certain level of pain some sort of chemical would be released in his brain, causing the-

It didn't matter, he thought. Gajeel. He was going to go talk with Gajeel about the kid that he was supposed to be finding. He had to find him. And he had to stay calm, he told himself as he kept walking. If he stayed calm the memories would stick around long enough for him to do something about them.

He didn't even see the small old guy standing on the corner fall over, foaming at the mouth as he walked past. Aku was far too used to scenes like that.


	6. Crybaby

Ahhh, for this one you have to remember that she's only a ten year old and she's had a very, very rough year which started with something very traumatic. (You'll find out about that in the next chapter or so, can't remember which.) And her hurting Levy was nearly as traumatic to her as that was. She really does adore the cute little bookworm. Thanks you guys for continuing to read this! I hope you're enjoying it so far!

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 6: Crybaby_

Tanya raced past another townsman, barely managing to keep from bumping into him. She was half blind thanks to the tears that filled her eyes. They welled up, stinging her cheeks as the wind hit her face. What had she been thinking? She should have known that she couldn't belong to a guild! Nellie had lied to her! She'd lied! There was no way that she would ever be able to get control of her magic. As she grew the powers would grow stronger and stronger, destroying everything around her until finally, she went on morbidly, they would tear her own body from the inside out, killing her.

She didn't want to die! She was only ten years old!

She let out a ragged sob, stumbling over an unseen stone and falling to her knees. She couldn't get up. Her heart was beating so heavily in her chest that it felt like it would come out. Her lungs burned as she tried to get air, but the snot clogging up her nose made it impossible to breathe properly. She sniffled, a honking, ugly sound that only came to the young. Then she wailed, ignoring the fact that she hardly had enough breath to do so.

"Le-Le-Levvvyyyy!" she cried, blubbering like the child she was. "Levvvyyyy!" She couldn't get the solid script's face out of her mind, the look of horror as Tanya's powers had gone out of control, the way her brown eyes had gone dull and lifeless before closing as the girl flew backwards, hitting the wall, then fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tanya hadn't been able to stop it from happening, not when she saw the man that had thrown her out of the bar walk through the door and look at them, his eyes drawn to the blue haired woman standing next to her. He was just one face out of hundreds, people that saw her as useless, as something easily shoved aside. And she was, she thought as she absently wiped at the snot with her arm, she was completely useless. There was nothing good about her, nothing at all. She deserved to die. The entire world would be better off if she were dead!

"Hey now," a gruff voice said. "What's with the waterworks?"

Slowly the little girl looked up, trying to wipe the tears away long enough to see who was talking to her. He was a strange looking man, tall and skinny, wearing a long leather jacket but not a shirt. He had a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips and a slight frown on his face.

"I-I-" she whimpered. "It's nothing."

"Sure it is," he said. "You're blocking the street for it, aren't you?" He motioned her to the side. "If you're going to cry, at least do it where people aren't walking," he told her callously, tapping off his smoke.

She felt as if he had kicked her. He was just like the ones that had. Slowly she stood, wiping away the last of her tears and looking up at him. Maybe she had been thinking it was better to die a few moments before, but she didn't want to be talked to like that. Not by someone that didn't even know her for the monster she was.

"What's with that look?" he demanded. "Annoying brat. Go home to your mother, or better yet, jump off some cliff. The world will be a better place for it." He started to walk around her, but she reached out, her hand catching on the long coat that he wore. "Let go," he told her as he stopped.

"Apologize," she said quietly in a nasal voice. This was the last straw in her horrible life, and she wasn't going to take it anymore! "Apologize to me."

"For what? You're an annoying brat that's blocking traffic, and I've had a very bad day!"

"I said apologize!" she yelled. "Apologize for being such a jerk!"

"What are you doing in Magnolia?" The voice made both Tanya and her enemy stop and turn, staring blankly at Gajeel. He was crouched on top of the roof of the building next to them, looking a lot like a gargoyle.

"You!" the man spat out, like a dirty word. "I've heard all about-" He didn't even have time to jump before Gajeel had tackled him to the ground, punching him in the face.

"You say anything and I'll slit your throat," the iron dragon muttered close to the man's ear. Tanya didn't hear it, but she did see the dangerous look on the dragon slayer's face. She took a step back, then another, only to blink as Gajeel looked at her.

"He do something to you?" he demanded.

"Wh-what?" She had to get away, she thought. The moment Gajeel found out what she had done to Levy, he would kill her! Sure he slept with a cat like a teddy bear, but he totally had a thing for the little bookworm, and let's face it, the face of a serial killer!

"Did he do something to you?" Gajeel demanded, gritting out each word as if she hadn't understood them the first time.

"He-he was just a jerk," she said.

"No mind-" He stopped, obviously not using the first word that came to his mind. "He didn't mess with your head?"

She shook her head mutely, wondering just who the guy the iron dragon was pinning down was, now. "I-I'm fine," she said, taking another step back. She wanted to run. Every single cell in her body was telling her she needed to get away from the iron dragon before he found out.

Levy, she thought, the tears welling up again. How could she have done such a thing to someone so nice to her? She was scum! She was worse than scum, she was dirty scum!

"Get out of here," Gajeel snarled, letting go of the man and standing. "And stay the hell away from Fairy Tail, got that?" Then, before Tanya could take another step back Gajeel grabbed her arm, hauling her behind him. "Understand?"

The man gave him a dirty look, then slowly nodded, hatred showing on his face as he slowly walked away. Gajeel let out a dark curse, one that Tanya hadn't ever heard before. She would have to ask someone what it meant later, she decided as she tried to squirm free of his hold. "Where's Lily and Levy?" he demanded, turning to her.

"They-they're back at the guild," she said, her voice squeaking pathetically.

"And what are you doing here?" he demanded angrily. She paled even more, wondering why he was so angry. He hadn't even heard about Levy yet!

"I-I-I don't think-" She jerked at her arm, but was unable to pull away. He ignored it, hauling her down the street to the guild.

"The old geezer wasn't there," he growled. "So you're stuck with us for a little longer. Whatever you do, don't go running around on your own, got it?" he demanded.

"I can take care of myself!" she yelled, clawing at his hand. She swore it was cutting off her circulation. Her fingers were starting to feel numb.

"Then why the hell are you crying?" he demanded roughly.

She stopped moving, getting dragged a few steps before he stopped and looked down at her. "I-I-I did something bad," she whispered, the tears starting to well up again. "I hurt Levy!" she wailed, sobbing again as easily as that. She hadn't allowed herself to cry that entire year she had traveled alone, not about Nellie, not about anything. But now that he and his friends and the guild had showed up she couldn't seem to stop the waterworks. It wasn't fair!

He was shockingly silent, just standing there as she forced herself to stop with a snuffle and a wipe of her arm across her eyes. She snorted up the trail of snot that had escaped her, looking up at him with confusion. "You're supposed to get mad now," she prompted.

"You did that thing, right?" he said. "You can't stop it."

"But-but I hurt her," she said. "I knocked her out."

"Look, kid," he said, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. "We all do stupid shit. When you're untrained and got a lot of power, things are gonna happen. So quit your bellyachin' and go apologize to her already."

"But what if I hurt her again?"

"Just don't touch her 'til you got it under control," he said with a shrug. "I figure it'll take you a few years, even with the old geezer training you, but you'll figure it out. Until then, hell, maybe we should get you some special gloves or something, I dunno. We'll ask the Master."

"But you like her," she said pathetically, feeling very much like the little girl she was. "Aren't you mad at me?"

"Yeah, I'm mad," he growled, turning on her and poking her forehead. "What were you thinking? There's people out there that are a lot more badass than you, little girl! Did you join the guild?"

She nodded, reaching up and rubbing her forehead. His poking hurt! "I didn't mean to," she whispered, looking down.

"You didn't mean to join the guild? What, were you tryin' to run away while they stamped you or something?"

"I didn't mean to hurt her!"

"What are you, stupid? I already figured that out." He started dragging her towards the guild again, glancing over his shoulder just once with a dark expression on his face. She turned, trying to see what he was looking at, but he hauled her away before she could. The next moment she forgot about it entirely because he was storming right through the guild, bellowing for Pantherlily.

Tanya glared at his back, her ears ringing from the bellowing and her arm hurting from his grip on her. Her forehead still stung, too. Yeah, she thought, he was the jerkiest jerk she had ever met-except for that-okay, that guy that had thrown her out of the bar, the guy in the street, that one creepy man with the dogs, the other guy in that one town that liked to dress like a clown-

"Shuddup, I heard you the first time!" Lily yelled from above them. "Levy's awake. Did you find-good, bring the kid with you."

Gajeel didn't argue, just headed up the stairs, hauling Tanya along with him. She sped up, wanting to see Levy just as much as he seemed to. She needed to apologize, she decided. But she couldn't speak as they saw the bookworm sitting up on a pallet, looking a bit pale.

"Tanya," she said, breaking into a smile. "You came back! Lily told me you ran away."

Tanya looked down, guiltily. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorryyyyy!" she said, crossing the room and dropping down on the edge of the pallet. "I didn't mean to do that, I really, really didn't-"

"I'm tough!" Levy said, holding up a fist and flexing a muscle. "It's fine, I promise!" She looked up, past Tanya's shoulder, smiling a shy, sheepish smile. "I'm really fine. It just knocked me for a loop for a bit."

"Ah," Gajeel said gruffly, dropping a hand on Tanya's head and pushing her forward. "Tell her all about it," he said. "I got some things I need to deal with."

"But-" Levy started out. "What-"

"Just things," he said before walking out of the room.

"He's such a jerk," Tanya burst out after recovering from her shock. "You can definitely do better," she told Levy as she sat down. She looked around, wondering why she felt so comfortable here, even though it was the last place she should be.

Levy sighed. "Young lady, we need to talk," she said.

Tanya let out a groan. This had definitely been one of her tougher days.


	7. Gildartz' Daughter

Chapter 7! I've got one more story chapter and an omake chapter left before it's finished after this. And then, seriously, I think I might be done writing FT fanfics for a while. I haven't had any great, pressing "gotta write it!" urges in weeks. And I really should get back to writing my original stuff. Besides, I've accomplished my main goal! There's lots of excellent Gajeel/Levy writers out there now! Not as many Lily writers as I'd hoped for, but let's face it, he's a cat. It's hard to write cat fanfics. Still, love and prayers for your guys^^ And I hope you enjoy the chapter!

This one, I'd like to mention, might be my favorite chapter. We have a little chat between Shagotte and Gajeel, then Gildartz finally shows up! Whoot!

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 7: Gildartz' Daughter_

Gajeel scowled, looking around from his perch on top of a store. This was where he had run into that annoying bastard, Aku, and the girl. The only thing that had saved him was the fact that Aku had a memory like a drain. Everything that went in quickly went out again. He had done some research the first time he met him. Aku was dangerous, in an insidious, dirty way that got on Gajeel's nerves.

Messing with people's bodies was one thing. Messing with their heads was another one completely. And he was still in a bad mood from seeing his Levy that pale and shaken. He couldn't take it out on the kid, obviously, so he was going to take it out on Aku. It made perfect sense to him.

"You!" The call made him turn, looking blankly at the white cat that was heading for him. It wasn't the little girl's white cat; it was the other one, the queen. And she was flying straight for him with the help of one of her servants. "You're Pantherlily's dragon slayer?"

Gajeel hesitated, his mind sorting through the possessive statements for a moment before he shrugged it off. It made sense, he guessed. If Lily was his cat, that made him Lily's dragon slayer. "Yeah," he said gruffly as she landed in front of him. Her servant moved a discreet distance away, looking around as he blatantly ignored their conversation. "You could put it that way."

"I need to ask something of him-and you," she said with a slightly worried expression. "But I would rather ask it of him," she admitted.

"He's in the guild," he said, turning back to the street.

"But I'll ask it of you," she said, making him roll his eyes. "I am not a coward."

"Never figured you were," he said, reluctantly turning back to her. "What do you want from my cat? And if it's getting him back with your group, you're out of luck. I'll let him visit whenever he wants, but he's got work to do."

"No, actually, that's why I came," she said. "You and Pantherlily, you travel often, right? I was wondering if it was possible for you to do something as you're traveling."

"Right now we're not going anywhere," Gajeel said. "We've got stuff to deal with."

"I don't mind, I just-you see, we're stretching ourselves very thin as we're searching for the children. I just thought that perhaps you might watch for them as you go on your... trips?"

"Missions," he provided. "You're right. You're going to have to ask Lily about that. He's the one that notices stuff like that." He looked at her, cocking his head slightly. "Y'know, I get why he likes you," he said. "You really are a pretty little thing."

Her face turned bright red, her eyes widening in shock. She stuttered for a moment and he watched with sadistic amusement. So she hadn't figured out that Lily had a thing for her? He was probably going to be pissed when he found out that Gajeel had let it slip.

"Thank you," Shagotte said finally, still slightly red. But her head was tilted up, and a hint of self confidence filled her gaze, something that hadn't been there before. "But I think now I should ask both of you. You see," she said slowly, looking away as she put her thoughts into words. "Of all the Exceed, the only one that didn't rely on my powers of prediction to be safe from humans was Pantherlily."

"So you figured he didn't need you, even as you were tossing him out, right?" Gajeel summed up, thinking of how he had finally gotten the story out of Lily over a few bottles of sake. "He doesn't need you," he agreed, watching as she winced. "He 'specially doesn't need you now. He's got a good paying job, a guild of his own, and me."

She winced at his words. "I didn't want to," she whispered. "But he brought in a human. If the humans found out how weak we were, our entire species was in danger. We couldn't risk having one there. I did it for all of the Exceed, you must understand."

"No I don't," he said. "Because I'll tell you right here and now, the only cat I give a damn about is Lily. But hell, I have him now, and that's because you tossed him out. So I figure I owe you. In a messed up, twisted sort of way," he added dryly. "Then again, that's the story of my life. So if Lily wants to help you with your little manhunt while we're working, I won't stop him. If he doesn't want to, I won't make him."

"That is fair," she agreed.

"You hate that he doesn't need you, don't you?"

"Wh-what?" she asked.

"Think about it," Gajeel said callously. "You have no control over what he does. You gotta beg him to set you up with your daughter, beg him to help with the search. Probably hard on your ego."

"No," she said honestly. "I admire him. I admire all of the Exceed. They've adapted to this new world so quickly, set aside their fear of humans so easily, and Pantherlily, he's become a part of this world so seamlessly. Part of that is because of you," she added. "You know, I never thought he would be happy like he is now. I worried about him. I saw what he was doing on Edolas, how he was working his way up in the human's military. He was never like he is now."

She took a deep breath, looking him in the eye with a little smile. "You said you owed me. But you're wrong. I'm the one that should owe you. Because of you, my-Charle is being raised with the help of one of my most trusted friends. Because of you, Pantherlily speaks willingly to me on a... a semi-regular basis. Because of you, Edolas and the Exceed were saved."

Gajeel looked at her a bit blankly, stunned by how she saw things. The really were positive thinking little guys, he thought after a moment. "Fine. In exchange I'll keep Lily. It's an even trade."

"You and your companions saved an entire species and all of the planets magic was being stolen from, and you consider-" She stopped, smiling brilliantly. "Yes, yes, that is a very good trade indeed," she said. He grunted, satisfied with that answer and turned back to watching the street. Aku was near. He could smell him.

For a long moment Shagotte looked up at the large, crass and wild man that, quite frankly, terrified her. He was unbridled, uncontrollable, and had unlimited power. She often worried that Pantherlily was in danger being with him, but now she couldn't help but feel happy with the situation. For Pantherlily he considered going to war with a king like Faust an equal trade. She had no doubt that he would do it again without hesitation. It was so very romantic! True friendship that surpassed species, surpassed strength, oh, she was so moved!

"You can go now," Gajeel said, making her jerk. "You know where the guild is."

"Oh, right, of course. Thank you." She took one last look at him, still smiling. "I am glad that you're Pantherlily's partner," she told him. "Although you're scary looking, I think you might almost be worthy of him." Then she went to her servant and took to the air, not seeing the befuddled look on his face.

"Almost?" he repeated irritably before snorting. Then he jerked as a familiar scent filled his nose. It was heading straight for the guild. Forgetting about the white cat entirely he jumped off of the building, racing for the guild.

* * *

"Find the girl... find the girl," Aku said, looking over the crumpled piece of paper that he had found in his pocket. "Gildartz daughter..." He frowned, trying to remember who Gildartz was. Slowing to a stop he looked up at the guild sign in front of him. This was the guild that Master Ivan was obsessed with!

What was he doing here?

"My what?"

The question made Aku turn, looking blankly at the orange haired man standing behind him. He sure was massive, the thin mage thought at first. He towered over Aku, and blocked out the sun with how broad he was. "Your what?" Aku finally asked.

"You said 'Gildartz daughter,'" the man said. "And the last I remember, I don't have one."

"Then if you don't have one..." Aku said, wondering why just standing there in front of the man was sending the hair on the back of his neck standing. It wasn't like Gajeel. Gajeel worried him, sure, but this-this was a primitive "I am going to die if I piss this man off" sensation.

His mind rushed, his memory starting to come to the surface. The large man hadn't said or done anything that should have kicked off this reaction, he had merely been there. That wasn't right, he thought, how could he-

"Gildartz," he whispered. And his memory came back.

* * *

"He's a big guy with red hair, and black eyes and he's the strongest in the entire guild except for the Master!" Levy said. She had been cheering Tanya up with stories about the man who had power like Tanya. "You'd know him the moment you saw him-"

"Gildartz is coming!" someone shouted. "Everybody hide the breakable stuff!"

"Everything's breakable when it comes to him!" someone yelled back.

"I wanna go see him!" Tanya called to Levy over her shoulder, already racing down the stairs. She was finally going to meet the man that could do what Nellie had sworn could be done! She was finally going to meet someone that could teach her to control her powers! She raced out the front door, her heart pounding hard in her chest, a brilliant smile on her face. He would help-

The little girl pulled to a stop, almost tripping over her own feet as she saw the thin smoking man from before. That wasn't Gildartz... it couldn't be Gildartz. He didn't have red hair-

A man stepped up behind the other, towering over him. She couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but she saw the smaller man turn to look up at the guy with red hair. Gildartz, she thought, her heart leaping into her throat. He was massive! This was the-

Something happened. The thin man went still, paling until he was practically translucent, then a wave of sickeningly purplish pink rushed out in a wave from him. It hit everyone around him like a typhoon. For a second she felt like she was floating in water, deep under the ocean. She couldn't breathe. A heavy weight pressed against her too-thin chest, trying to rip through her ribs to get to her heart.

Then the nightmares began. It was like her dreams, but so much more vivid.

* * *

"Nellie, Nellie! I found another one of those mage magazines!" Tanya yelled, rushing to catch up with the tiny old woman walking down the street. "It's amazing! Look, look, this one has a Stellar Spirit Mage named Lucy in it! Isn't she beautiful? And here's a picture of a guy named Elfman! He's got this awesome ability to turn into a monster! And see, here's-"

She grunted as she ran into someone, looking up blankly at the man in front of them. A look of disgust crossed the man's face. "Street urchins should be kept in the alley, not on the main streets," the mage snarled, shoving at both Tanya and Nellie. The little old woman fell to the ground with a cry.

"Nellie!" Tanya said, racing for the little woman. "Nellie, are you okay?"

"Move out of the way!" the man snapped. "Some of us have more important things to do than-" Tanya stood, looking up at him. Her body started to tremble and her hands came up, reaching for him.

"No, Tanya!" Nellie said, grabbing the little girl and tackling her to the ground. It was too late. The power ripped through Tanya's body, slamming into Nellie's and destroying the ground beneath them-

Tanya started to scream.

* * *

Gildartz staggered, the black blur that he had barely seen attacking already gone. His leg-it wouldn't support him anymore. It wasn't there anymore, he realized a bit numbly. The large body he had put so much trust in through the years had given out on him. Blankly, almost numbly he looked down at the empty space where his arm had once been as his body fell to the ground.

The world around him shook, the whistling in his ears the only sound he could hear. He felt a trickle of blood slowly roll down the side of his face. For an instant he was suspended, neither falling nor standing. Then the blood burst from his body, spraying everything around him.

He was going to die here, with nothing to show for himself, not even a finished mission. The Master-

Gildartz let out a bellow of rage, of pain, of frustration that echoed through the world that was suddenly crumbling around him.


	8. Wanted

And here's the final chapter of the main story! Thank you guys for sticking with me so much! And I promise I won't forget you guys, you've really helped me through a rough period^^ You'll definitely be in my thoughts and prayers. And, as a bonus, I'm adding an entire omake chapter to this fic, just like I did last time, look forward to it!

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 8: Wanted_

It was the most horrifying thing Gajeel had ever seen. It went like circles around the father and daughter, spreading out like a wave that pulled everything around them into it. The guild, so tough and sturdy was being sucked in, walls starting to crumble, signs and poles shaking loose and falling to the ground. The earth beneath their feet shuddered with the release of magical power.

He had no choice. He jumped straight in, his arm turning into a metal pole and slamming hard into Aku's head. It shoved the nightmare mage to the ground, knocking him out, perhaps even killing him. It was hard to control his strength with all the nightmares trying to sneak into his head.

They stopped the moment Aku was unconscious and Gildartz' power halted, the older man gaining control rapidly. It was only Tanya who was still screaming. The power around her wasn't nearly as strong as her father's had been, but it was still enough to do far more damage than Gajeel felt like fixing. He let out a curse and used his dragon scale magic before racing in to grab her.

"Tanya!" he bellowed right in her face. "Get it together, you pain in the ass!"

It didn't seem to reach her. He shook her hard, wondering what in the hell she had seen that would make her react like this. "Come on, kid, get it together!" he bellowed. "You're not there anymore! Levy wants to see you!"

The screaming grew quieter and slowly the power stopped as her black eyes gained their focus. "Le-Levy?" she whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah. You wanna see her, too, right?" Gajeel asked, calming down. It was astonishing how much power the tiny bookworm had. He would never tell her about it, of course, especially not that he was positive the same trick would work on him. "Levy's waiting for you. And all you're doin' is making a mess."

She nodded, looking around slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll clean it up, I promise."

"Sure you will," he agreed. "I'll make sure you do. Otherwise the Master will make me do it."

"I wanted to meet Gildartz," Tanya explained.

Gajeel turned, looking at the massive man who was examining the area around them. After a long moment he looked over at Tanya, frowning slightly. "I think..."

"Yeah," Gajeel said. "Meet your kid, Mary Sue-"

"My name is NOT Mary Sue!" Tanya bellowed. "Wait-kid?" She looked up at Gildartz. "What do you-"

"What's your name?" Gildartz asked.

"Ta-Tanya."

"Well Ta-Tanya-"

"We already got a Titanya, pick a different name," Gajeel told her.

"My name is Tanya! Not Titanya!"

"We need you to teach her," Gajeel said, shoving Tanya towards Gildartz. "Nobody else that we know of can."

"Yeah..." Gildartz said with a stunned expression. "Yeah, that makes sense."

This was where there was supposed to be a sudden rush of father daughter love, but the two just stood there, looking at each other hesitantly. Then again, Gajeel thought, it wasn't his business anymore. He looked down at Aku's unconscious body then looked up at the guild, eying the destruction thoughtfully. It hadn't gotten to where Levy was, and he wasn't worried about Lily, so he grabbed Aku, hauling him over his shoulder and walking away.

"Gajeel?" Tanya asked, sounding abandoned.

"Got a delivery to make," he said. "Go check on Levy!"

"Okay!" Tanya said, glancing at Gildartz one last time before rushing inside. Gildartz glanced over at Gajeel, looking strangely lost.

"Are you sure?"

"Nope," Gajeel said shrugging. "I try not to think of old guys having kids." He shuddered, his mind going right back to where he didn't ever want to go again.

"I've got a kid?" Gildartz said to himself as Gajeel left. "What do you do with a kid, anyway?"

* * *

"Um, Pantherlily?" Shagotte said quietly. The massive black wall of his chest was staring her right in the face. In fact, the Exceed's large form was blocking out all light entirely. "Do you think it's over yet?"

For a long moment he didn't move. She could hear his steady heartbeat, feel it, even, and it was a very disconcerting feeling. "Yeah," he said finally, poofing back into his smaller form. "My apologies, Queen. I should have warned you first."

"No, it's fine," she said, blushing slightly. "I didn't realize what was going on at first-you have a very exciting lifestyle in this guild, don't you? Does this happen often?"

"Not that I know of." He helped her to her feet, looking remarkably calm for what had just happened. "I'm thinking Gildartz got back, though. So you were going to ask me something?"

"I, oh, yes, I already asked your partner," she admitted. "He said it would be up to you. I was wondering, though, if you could look for-"

"For the children," he said. "I already have been. I cover a lot more ground than you do, and I figured that if I saw one I would send word to you. Unfortunately I have yet to find one."

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I only just thought to ask, yet you'd already thought of it. You are far more capable than I am."

"No, Queen. You've done an excellent job on the Earthland. I'm impressed. This is just a small thing that I can do compared to all that you do for our people."

"Um, Lily?" Tanya called, making Pantherlily glance up. "Is Levy okay?"

"She's fine, the wreckage didn't get this far," Lily said with a crooked smile.

"Good," she said, glancing at Shagotte for a second curiously. "Hi," she added, waving at the white Exceed before rushing past them for Levy's room. A few seconds later Gildartz walked towards them, a slight frown.

"Did you see-"

"She went that way," Lily said, pointing towards Levy's room.

"Thanks." He walked past them, and Shagotte felt even more awkward.

"It's not a very good place for a private conversation," Lily said in excuse. "But if that's what you wanted to ask me, don't worry about it."

"Thank you, Pantherlily," she said. "I don't deserve all the things you've done for me-"

"Don't worry about it," he repeated. "You need to get back to your people now, and I need to help put this place back together."

In other words, he was politely telling her to leave, she thought with a hint of bittersweet amusement. This was his world, and she had her own. Before she could say anything, though, he laid a paw on her shoulder, looking her straight in the eyes.

"When you need something from me," he told her, "I'll do my very best to supply it, no matter where I am or what I'm doing. You know that."

"Thank you," she whispered, flushing slightly. That-that had been the most romantic statement she had ever been given. He hadn't mentioned the word "Queen" anywhere in the sentence, he had used the word "you." "Lily," she added, using the nickname he seemed to go by here.

He gave her a crooked smile; then turned, heading off to work on his guild.

* * *

"So?" Ivan asked as Gajeel walked into the room. "Did you get the girl?"

"No," Gajeel growled, tossing Aku onto the ground. "This idiot got in the way. She wound up joining Fairy Tail and meeting her old man all at the same time."

"Aku did? I should have known," Ivan said, looking down at the fallen mage with a hint of disgust. "Well, keep an eye on her. The last thing we want is for her to become a problem like her father is."

"Ah," Gajeel agreed. "But I can't touch her, not now."

"At least, not in a way people can trace back to you," Ivan said. "We'll figure out something. Don't worry."

"I need to get back. If I'm missing too long they might start wondering," Gajeel said rather than reply to that.

"Gajeel," Ivan said. "I can't seem to help noticing the round indent in Aku's face."

Gajeel didn't even hesitate. "I'm just doing my job, Master Ivan." Then he was gone, leaving Ivan to contemplate what had just happened. It really was a shame that Aku had the memory problem he did, he thought as he kicked the unconscious mage out of his way. He wouldn't find out anything through him.

* * *

Days passed, and Tanya was put to work hauling as many boards as she could to put the destruction she and Gildartz had caused back together. She dropped down on the steps at lunch time, grabbing her bottle of water and pouring it over her head.

"Hungry?" Gildartz asked as he dropped down next to her, offering her a bento. She took it, giving him a shy smile as she pulled it open and grabbed her chopsticks. "I heard you have a thing for Levy McGarden."

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she choked on the rice she was eating. "It's not like that!" she protested, not noticing the wicked grin on his face. "I just-I like her. She's really awesome, you know? And she-she's always so nice to me," she added, still bright red. "Did Gajeel tell you that?" she demanded.

"Nah," he said. He looked up, watching where Gajeel and Levy were working together. "You mind that thing that's between those two?"

She followed his line of sight, smiling slightly as Gajeel yelled at Levy and Levy laughed in his face. "Why should I?" she asked. "Although I still say she could do better." She grunted as he reached up, ruffling her hair roughly. His hands were huge, she thought, looking up at him through her lashes. Just like hers.

"I figured after we're done here I'd take you on a training journey," he said. "We can go look for those flying cats like that one friend of yours."

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "But we'll still come back, right?"

"Of course. This is our guild."

She went silent, chewing on her bottom lip for a long moment. "Do I-should I call you 'Dad?'" she asked.

"Only if you want to," he said. "Or 'old man' if it's more comfortable."

"Okay." She would tell him about Nellie, and he would tell her why he had a fake arm and leg. But not yet. They had plenty of time for things like that.

A tiny smile pulled at her lips as she looked down at her too large hands. Nellie, she thought, thank you.


	9. Omake!

And the omake chapter! About Kiss Fix: I actually wrote this after one of the others, since I had no idea why Tanya was so... affectionate in it. Well now we know, and we get an adorable little father daughter bonding scene before I go!

Everybody in America have an excellent Thanksgiving day! I'm thankful for so much, I hope you guys have as much to be thankful about as I do!

* * *

**It Falls Apart**

_Chapter 9: Omake!_

**Kiss Fix**

He didn't know what to do with a daughter. It was something that was drilled into Gildartz' mind the first trip they took. And he especially didn't know what to do with one that had such a tragic past. She had her moments, moments where she would stop and turn as pale as ice, the color draining out of her face.

Those were the times her power threatened to go out of control. The first time it happened it had shocked the hell out of him. He had tried everything to get her to come back to the present, yelled at her, picked her up, even thought of asking the Master if he had any good ideas. He couldn't shake her like Gajeel had, it would be far too easy to kill her like that. She was so tiny compared to him, so delicate.

It was only desperation that had him hugging her to his chest, whispering stupid things in her ear, things that he didn't even understand. When the power started abating slightly he kissed her on the cheek. That seemed to shock her out of it completely. Big, startled black eyes widened and her mouth opened with shock as she looked up at him. The sign post on the side of the road next to them teetered one time and fell to the ground with a thump.

"You better now?" he asked gruffly, still holding her. She nodded, looking a bit stunned, and he wondered if he had done the wrong thing. Did you kiss your daughter on the cheek? Was it allowed? He didn't have that much of a history with females (sure, once in a while-but that was a completely different subject,) especially since he never stayed in one spot for too long, but-

"That was way better than being shaken to death," Tanya said, squirming out of his hold and grabbing her bag. "Or yelled at," she added.

From then on, it was easier to break her out of her little fits. And slowly, as she grew accustomed to traveling with him, the fits became fewer and farther between. She told him once that when traveling with him no one even dared to think about hurting her, and it broke his heart. It also made him tempted to hunt down each and every bastard that had before, but he didn't mention that fact.

But he didn't realize what the "kiss fix" had done to her until after about a month. They had come upon a fair thrown in a local town, and he was letting her drag her to any of the competition booths that caught her eye, even the ones that were clearly rigged. "Step up, step up and win a prize!" the man behind the booth said. "Knock down the milk jugs and win an official Fairy Tail Kurogane t-shirt!"

"This one!" Tanya said, pointing at the T-shirt printed with silver to make it look like Gajeel's. "I want that!"

"Sir, your little girl has a great eye for quality-"

"You've already got two of the real thing," Gildartz said, ignoring the sales pitch. "Why get a fake?" But he found himself laying down the cash anyway and taking the three balls he was handed. He glanced over at the kid throwing next to him, watching as the ball bounced off of the bottles with a sigh. Then he threw the ball.

The milk bottles literally broke off the part of the table they were glued to and fell to the ground. Tanya let out a squeal, jumping up and kissing him on the cheek happily before grabbing the shirt from the trembling fingers that held it out to her.

Before the fair was over Tanya had more junk than she could hold, and Gildartz had been kissed on the cheek more times than he could count. His little "kiss fix" had created a kiss monster.

* * *

**Girlfriend**

Gildartz looked up with a hint of amusement as Gajeel stopped in front of him. The older man leaned back against the bar, holding up his beer in a slight salute. "Yo, Kurogane," he said.

"Your daughter needs to be put on a leash," Gajeel growled. "The moment she comes into town she pilfers my clothing, steals my cat and hauls Levy off to who knows where!"

"Yeah, but we hardly come into town," Gildartz said, taking a gulp of his beer. "It's good for her to have a girlfriend."

"Yeah, but not mine!" Gajeel snapped, much to the shock of everyone in the bar. "Shuddup," he said before they could comment. He stopped as he saw the two girls walk into the guild, grinning broadly as they carried in massive piles of things. But that wasn't what had him staring.

"Still going to complain?" Gildartz asked lazily.

Gajeel was so busy staring at Levy wearing his shirt that he couldn't think of a reply.

"You're right," Levy said as she saw Gajeel's look of shock. "This is fun!"

"Isn't it?" Tanya asked happily. "You should see his face when you add sequins!"

"I almost got him to wear that one," Lily said. "But we didn't have quite enough sake to pull it off."

"Um, how much, exactly, did you need?" Levy asked. Lily gave her a wicked grin.

* * *

**Branding**

It was a twisted little secret that he had been keeping ever since joining Fairy Tail. He knew it was wrong, knew that he was a sick, sadistic bastard that should be kicked out for even thinking it, but he had accepted that fact about himself a long time ago.

Gajeel hadn't had to brand Levy back when he pinned her to the cross. He could have done one of the guys, or even to the tree. He felt guilty, sure, but not so guilty that he hadn't enjoyed stamping his mark on the cute little bookworm on some level. A brand, a possessive mark, saying that the dirty work belonged to Phantom Lord, and that the girl belonged to him.

He was a vicious, sick, sick, sadistic son of a- His eyes narrowed as Tanya jumped Levy from behind, hugging her happily and kissing her on the cheek. "That was awesome!" Tanya said. "I've never seen anything like that!"

"Oh, it wasn't that big," Levy said, flushing happily.

Gajeel had been fighting the urge to brand her in some way ever since he joined the guild again. When those two idiots followed her around, he wanted to shove them off and write his name on her forehead, or that stomach she insisted in showing all the time. He had beaten that urge down, telling himself that nothing was going on between her and either of them.

He fought the urge to brand her when she was so intent on her books. That one was even stupider than with dumb and dumber. He wasn't even sure why he felt that way. She was just reading a stupid book, right?

But now, he thought as he watched the little girl cling to Levy, now he was borderline crazy, all over a stupid little kid. He was staring at them, his eyes glowing red with an emotion that he didn't really understand. The little girl looked up, grinning at him wickedly. Levy, on the other hand, had no clue he was watching her. (It was times like this that he really couldn't wait for the little Mary Sue to grow up so he could beat the living hell out of her. The fight promised to be a hell of a lot of fun, too. But then he remembered she was guild, and that blew that idea, too...)

He could picture the mark on Levy, he thought, getting distracted. He wouldn't carve it or paint it on her, either, that wouldn't work. It'd scare her again. But for some reason he couldn't help but picture leaning her back against a table, tracing it out with his teeth, welting her skin.

"Gajeel!" Levy said, only then seeing him. "Tanya and I got you something!"

"What?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"It wasn't easy, but we managed!" she said as the two girls hauled a large sheet of metal forward. "There was a train wreck when Natsu's group came home, and we made it all the way through this big, dangerous fight to get you this!"

"Levy was awesome! She took out this one guy with a single word!"

He stared at shock at them. "You little idiots," he said finally. "Next time wait until the fight's over."

"If you don't want it-"

"I didn't say I didn't want it!" he said, grabbing the metal and taking a bite to mark it as his. It was probably smarter than biting Levy, he decided. But not nearly as much fun.

* * *

**Holiday Planners**

Somehow Cake Celebration day was now an Exceed pastime, Lily thought a bit blandly as he looked at the Exceed filled cafe. Shagotte, who was sitting at the table right next to the entrance gave him a sheepish smile, flushing slightly before she waved him, Happy, and most importantly, Charle, forward. She seemed to have saved them a table.

"What is going on here?" Charle demanded as they got to the table. "Why are there so many Exceed here?"

"Well, somehow it sort of... slipped?" Shagotte offered, looking guilty.

"I hope they haven't eaten all the cake," Lily said as he pulled himself into one of the chairs next to the Queen, not too bothered by how things were turning out. It wasn't like they could kick him out this time, this was his stomping ground, not theirs. "You're looking quite lovely today, Queen. Have you had good news?"

"Lily! You're completely ignoring the main point!" Charle complained. "Mou!"

"Ever since your friends from the guild have started looking, we've found out about four more children," Shagotte said joyfully. "They're all healthy and happy, and have been reunited with their parents!"

"That's great," Lily said with a smile. "And Charle does have a point," he added. "We don't usually see so many Exceed in one place."

Shagotte sighed and reached out to a servant, taking what looked like a calendar from him. "Somehow the second Friday of each month has been proclaimed to be 'Cake Celebration Day' on our calendar. I have no idea how it happened," she said a bit too innocently, offering them the calendar.

Lily flipped to the next month, raising one eyebrow slightly. "And this... 'Fish Celebration Day'?" he asked, pointing at the big written sign.

"Oh dear, that was supposed to be 'Catnip Celebration,' I'm going to have to speak with my holiday planners," Shagotte said, frowning slightly.

"Every day should be 'Fish Celebration Day!'" Happy announced, looking overcome with joy at the thought.

"There's no such thing as either of those days!" Charle complained. "Are you all insane?"

"Oh dear, so the 'Darjeeling Appreciation Day' isn't good, either?" Shagotte asked, looking heartbroken.

"Well... um... I didn't say that, exactly..." Charle muttered. "Wait, why is it appreciation and not celebration?"

"Because it's tea," Lily said, already knowing the answer to that one. "You appreciate good tea, not celebrate."

"I have to disagree on that," Charle said sternly. Lily leaned back, raising a finger to the befuddled looking waitress to get their order taken. He would have to try and be home on the second Friday, he decided. The chance to spend an evening like this wasn't something he was about to pass by, he thought as Charle and Shagotte discussed even more prospective holidays. Even Happy looked happy just to be there.

Earthland really had been good for his people, he thought as he listened to them chat and argue happily over cake. He watched as Shagotte and Charle went on, their heads close together as they examined the calendar, their pretty faces mirroring one another's. It had been good for him, too.


End file.
